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Western Canadian Baseball League

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Western Canadian Baseball League
Western Canadian Baseball League logo.png
Western Canadian Baseball League logo
SportBaseball
Founded1931
No. of teams11
CountryCanada
HeadquartersLethbridge, Alberta
Most recent
champion(s)
Okotoks Dawgs
Most titlesSwift Current 57's (6 titles)[1] Okotoks Dawgs (6 titles)
Official websitewesterncanadianbaseballleague.ca Edit this at Wikidata

The Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league based in Saskatchewan and Alberta that descends from leagues dating to 1931.

History

The league can trace its roots back to 1931, via its predecessors. The Southern Baseball League existed from 1931 to 1974. The Northern Saskatchewan Baseball League existed from 1959 to 1974. The Saskatchewan Major Baseball League (SMBL) was formed in 1975 as a combination of the two predecessors. Three teams from each former league entered the new loop — the Eston Ramblers, Saskatoon Royals, and Unity Cardinals from the north and Moose Jaw Devons, Regina Red Sox, and Swift Current Indians from the south.[2][3]

The league was renamed the Western Major Baseball League in 2000 to reflect more teams playing in Alberta, as well as future expansion to British Columbia. In June 2018 it was announced that the league would be renamed to the Western Canadian Baseball League in 2019.[4]

The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and logistics, the 2021 season was played with only five Alberta-based teams and Canadian players only.[5][6]

Member teams

As of 2022, WCBL membership consists of 11 teams in two divisions. The top four teams in each division qualify for the post-season.

East Division
Team City Stadium 2022 Record Finish
Medicine Hat Mavericks Medicine Hat, Alberta Athletic Park 18-38 4th
Moose Jaw Miller Express Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Ross Wells Park 33-23 2nd
Regina Red Sox Regina, Saskatchewan Currie Field 34-22 1st
Swift Current 57's Swift Current, Saskatchewan Mitchell Field 29-27 3rd
Weyburn Beavers Weyburn, Saskatchewan Tom Laing Park 14-42 5th
West Division
Team City Stadium 2022 Record Finish
Brooks Bombers Brooks, Alberta Elks Stadium 26–30 4th
Fort McMurray Giants Fort McMurray, Alberta Legacy Dodge Field 27–29 3rd
Lethbridge Bulls Lethbridge, Alberta Spitz Stadium 26-30 5th
Okotoks Dawgs Okotoks, Alberta Seaman Stadium 43-13 1st
Sylvan Lake Gulls Sylvan Lake, Alberta Pogadl Park 38-18 2nd

The Edmonton Prospects will not participate in the 2023 season due to construction delays at Myshak Metro Ballpark.

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Medicine Hat

Medicine Hat

Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately 169 km (105 mi) east of Lethbridge and 295 km (183 mi) southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are within Cypress County. Medicine Hat was the sixth-largest city in Alberta in 2016 with a population of 63,230. It is also the sunniest place in Canada according to Environment and Climate Change Canada, averaging 2,544 hours of sunshine a year.

Athletic Park (Medicine Hat)

Athletic Park (Medicine Hat)

Athletic Park is a stadium in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. It is primarily used for baseball and was the home of the Medicine Hat Blue Jays of the Pioneer League and home to the Medicine Hat Mavericks of the Western Canadian Baseball League since 2002.

Moose Jaw Miller Express

Moose Jaw Miller Express

The Moose Jaw Miller Express are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. They play in the Western Canadian Baseball League.

Moose Jaw

Moose Jaw

Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, 77 km (48 mi) west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Moose Jaw No. 161.

Brooks Bombers

Brooks Bombers

The Brooks Bombers are a Western Canadian Baseball League team based in Brooks, Alberta, Canada, that began play in May 2016. They currently play at Elks Field at the Quad Ball Diamond Complex.

Brooks, Alberta

Brooks, Alberta

Brooks is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the County of Newell. It is located on Highway 1 and the Canadian Pacific Railway, approximately 186 km (116 mi) southeast of Calgary, and 110 km (68 mi) northwest of Medicine Hat. The city has an elevation of 760 m (2,490 ft). Brooks has the highest proportion of Black Canadians of any census subdivision in Canada.

Fort McMurray Giants

Fort McMurray Giants

The Fort McMurray Giants are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Fort McMurray operating out of Legacy Dodge Field in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. They play in the Western Canadian Baseball League. The team was formed in 2016 as an expansion team and began playing at the Edmonton Ballpark at the beginning of their inaugural season, due to the wildfire and evacuation of their hometown.

Fort McMurray

Fort McMurray

Fort McMurray is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant role in the development of the national petroleum industry. The 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire led to the evacuation of its residents and caused widespread damage.

Lethbridge Bulls

Lethbridge Bulls

The Lethbridge Bulls are a Summer college baseball team playing at Spitz Stadium in Lethbridge, Alberta. The team is a member of the Western Canadian Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league operating in the prairie provinces of Canada.

Lethbridge

Lethbridge

Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to the city's warm summers, mild winters, and windy climate. Lethbridge lies southeast of Calgary on the Oldman River.

Okotoks Dawgs

Okotoks Dawgs

The Okotoks Dawgs are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada. They play in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL). The Dawgs are six-time WCBL champions.

Okotoks

Okotoks

Okotoks is a town in the Calgary Region of Alberta, Canada. It is on the Sheep River, approximately 18 km (11 mi) south of Calgary. Okotoks has emerged as a bedroom community of Calgary. According to the 2016 Census, the town has a population of 28,881, making it the largest town in Alberta.

Former teams

Former teams include the Melville Millionaires (2021), Yorkton Cardinals (2021), Saskatoon Yellow Jackets (2014), Sherwood Park Dukes (2008), St. Albert Prospects (2007), Red Deer Generals (2005), Moose Jaw Devons, Oyen Pronghorns, Kindersley Royals, Eston Ramblers (1993), Saskatoon Liners, Saskatoon Nationals, Hazlet Elks (1993), and Unity Cardinals.

Expansion

Cranbrook, British Columbia, was granted a conditional expansion team in 2011 and was to begin play after building a new stadium.[7][8] As of 2018, these plans appear to have stalled.

Sylvan Lake was working towards a WCBL team in September 2019. Under the concept, a 2,200-seat ballpark would be built as part of Sylvan Lake's Pogadl Park development and house a WCBL expansion team backed by the ownership group Hard 4 Sports and Entertainment. The earliest that the ballpark would be completed is 2021, with the WCBL squad potentially beginning play that season as part of a 25-year lease agreement.[9] Plans for a 2021 launch were officially announced November 1, 2019.[10] Branding as the Sylvan Lake Gulls was announced in March 2020.[11]

Spruce Grove is constructing a ballpark.[12] In May 2020, the Edmonton Prospects confirmed that the team would be leaving Edmonton for Spruce Grove by 2022,[13] but due to construction delays Myshak Metro Ballpark is (as of November 2022) scheduled to open no earlier than 2024.[14][15]

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Cranbrook, British Columbia

Cranbrook, British Columbia

Cranbrook is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada, located on the west side of the Kootenay River at its confluence with the St. Mary's River. It is the largest urban centre in the region known as the East Kootenay. As of 2016, Cranbrook's population is 20,499 with a census agglomeration population of 27,040. It is the location of the headquarters of the Regional District of East Kootenay and also the location of the regional headquarters of various provincial ministries and agencies, notably the Rocky Mountain Forest District.

Sylvan Lake, Alberta

Sylvan Lake, Alberta

Sylvan Lake is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the City of Red Deer along Highway 11 or Highway 11A. It is on the southeast edge of Sylvan Lake, a 15-kilometre-long (9.3 mi) freshwater lake that straddles the boundary between Red Deer County and Lacombe County.

Spruce Grove

Spruce Grove

Spruce Grove is a city that is 11 km (6.8 mi) west of Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada. The city is adjacent to the Town of Stony Plain and is surrounded by Parkland County.

Myshak Metro Ballpark

Myshak Metro Ballpark

Myshak Metro Ballpark is under construction in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. The baseball park is the home of the Edmonton Prospects, a Western Canadian Baseball League team playing in the West Division. The park is scheduled to open in 2023 and can seat 3,470 people. The ballpark replaced RE/MAX Field as the home of the Prospects. The ballpark was initially known as Spruce Grove Metro Ballpark during planning and construction, and naming rights were awarded on February 18, 2022, to the Myshak Group, a crane and rigging company.

Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy

Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy
Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy

Saskatchewan Territorial (1895–1905) and Provincial (1906–present) champions have been decided by an annual tournament.[3] In 1967 the first major division was added to the tournament,[16] and the award was named in memory of Harry Hallis. From 1967 until 1974 the name of this provincial champion was added to the trophy. In 1975 when the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League was formed, this trophy continued to be awarded to the SMBL champions, and now the WCBL champions.

League champions

Former logo as the Western Major Baseball League
Former logo as the Western Major Baseball League

Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) Champions: (Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy)

Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) Champions: (Harry Hallis Memorial Trophy)

Saskatchewan Major Baseball League (SMBL) Champions:

  • 2000: Swift Current Indians
  • 1999: Moose Jaw Miller Express
  • 1998: Swift Current Indians
  • 1997: Swift Current Indians
  • 1996: Swift Current Indians
  • 1995: Oyen Pronghorns
  • 1994: Swift Current Indians
  • 1993: Eston Ramblers
  • 1992: Swift Current Indians
  • 1991: Kindersley Royals
  • 1990: Kindersley Royals
  • 1989: Hazlet Elks
  • 1988: Hazlet Elks
  • 1987: Hazlet Elks
  • 1986: Eston Ramblers
  • 1985: Kindersley Royals
  • 1984: Kindersley Royals
  • 1983: Eston Ramblers
  • 1982: Eston Ramblers
  • 1981: Saskatoon Patrick-Liners
  • 1980: Saskatoon Patrick-Liners
  • 1979: Saskatoon Patrick-Liners
  • 1978: Eston Ramblers
  • 1977: Regina Red Sox
  • 1976: Regina Red Sox
  • 1975: Eston Ramblers

Northern Saskatchewan Baseball League Champions:

  • 1974: Saskatoon Royals
  • 1973: Saskatoon Commodores
  • 1972: North Battleford Beavers
  • 1971: North Battleford Beavers
  • 1970: Unity Cardinals
  • 1969: North Battleford Beavers
  • 1968: North Battleford Beavers
  • 1967: Unity Cardinals
  • 1966: Unity Cardinals
  • 1965: North Battleford Beavers
  • 1964: North Battleford Beavers
  • 1963: North Battleford Beavers
  • 1962: North Battleford Beavers
  • 1961: Neilburg Monarchs
  • 1960: Kindersley Klippers
  • 1959: Spruce Home[3]

The Southern Baseball League (SBL) Champions: (J.T.M. Anderson Trophy)

  • 1974: Moose Jaw Devons
  • 1973: Moose Jaw Devons
  • 1972: Swift Current Indians
  • 1971: Moose Jaw Regals
  • 1970: Moose Jaw Regals
  • 1969: Regina Red Sox
  • 1968: Moose Jaw Regals
  • 1967: Yorkton Cardinals
  • 1966: Moose Jaw Regals
  • 1965: Swift Current Indians
  • 1964: Regina Red Sox
  • 1963: Swift Current Indians
  • 1962: Moose Jaw Steelers
  • 1961: Moose Jaw Steelers
  • 1960: Regina Red Sox
  • 1959: Swift Current Indians
  • 1958: Southey Red Sox
  • 1957: Southey Red Sox
  • 1956: Estevan Maple Leafs
  • 1955: Regina Red Sox
  • 1954: Moose Jaw Lakers
  • 1953: Regina Red Sox
  • 1952: Regina Royal Caps
  • 1951: Weyburn Beavers
  • 1950: Estevan Maple Leafs
  • 1949: Moose Jaw Canucks
  • 1948: Weyburn Beavers
  • 1947: Weyburn Beavers
  • 1946: Regina Clippers
  • 1945: Weyburn Beavers
  • 1944: Regina Royal Caps
  • 1943: (No champion—World War II)
  • 1942: Regina Red Sox
  • 1941: Weyburn Beavers
  • 1940: Weyburn Beavers
  • 1939: (No champion—World War II)
  • 1938: Broadview Buffalos
  • 1937: Weyburn Beavers
  • 1936: Regina Nationals
  • 1935: Regina Nationals
  • 1934: Regina Nationals
  • 1933: Regina Nationals
  • 1932: Regina Nationals
  • 1931: Moose Jaw Canucks[3]


Championships (WCBL/WMBL)
Team Wins Seasons
Swift Current 57's 6 2001, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2017
Okotoks Dawgs 6 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2019, 2022
Medicine Hat Mavericks 3 2003, 2014, 2018
Lethbridge Bulls 2 2015, 2021
Regina Red Sox 2 2011, 2012
Moose Jaw Miller Express 1 2002
Melville Millionaires 1 2013

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Okotoks Dawgs

Okotoks Dawgs

The Okotoks Dawgs are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada. They play in the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL). The Dawgs are six-time WCBL champions.

Lethbridge Bulls

Lethbridge Bulls

The Lethbridge Bulls are a Summer college baseball team playing at Spitz Stadium in Lethbridge, Alberta. The team is a member of the Western Canadian Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league operating in the prairie provinces of Canada.

COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified in an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Attempts to contain it there failed, allowing the virus to spread to other areas of Asia and later worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As of 10 March 2023, the pandemic had caused more than 676 million cases and 6.88 million confirmed deaths, making it one of the deadliest in history.

Swift Current 57's

Swift Current 57's

The Swift Current 57's are a baseball team based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team is a member of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL), a collegiate summer baseball league operating in the prairie provinces of Canada.

Regina Red Sox

Regina Red Sox

The Regina Red Sox are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. They play in the Western Canadian Baseball League. The Red Sox have won the WMBL title twice, once in 2011 and once in 2012. The Red Sox also won the SMBL championship in 1976 and 1977, and the SBL in 1942, 1953, 1955, 1960, 1964, and 1969.

Source: "Western Canadian Baseball League", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, November 9th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Canadian_Baseball_League.

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References
  1. ^ Heidenreich, Phil (August 17, 2017). "Edmonton Prospects lose 4-0 to Swift Current in WMBL championship game". Global Edmonton. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  2. ^ "Western Canada Baseball 1975". attheplate.com. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Hack, Paul; Shury, David William; Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (1997). Wheat Province Diamonds: a Story of Saskatchewan Baseball. Regina: Saskatchewan Baseball Association. ISBN 9780968196502.
  4. ^ "New for 2019: WCBL". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  5. ^ News, CKOM. "Regina Red Sox scrub 2021 season due to COVID-19". 650 CKOM. Retrieved May 30, 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Saskatchewan teams opt out of 2021 Western Canadian Baseball League season". leaderpost. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Eds' Proposed New Home". Ballpark Business (ballparkbiz.com). Alan D. Poff. February 10, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  8. ^ Reichard, Kevin (February 9, 2011). "New ballpark pitched for Cranbrook". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  9. ^ Spedden, Zach (September 13, 2019). "Sylvan Lake WCBL Team in the Works". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  10. ^ "Sylvan Lake WCBL Team to Launch in 2021". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. November 1, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  11. ^ Spedden, Zach (March 16, 2020). "New for 2021: Sylvan Lake Gulls". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  12. ^ ABDugoutStories [@ABDugoutStories] (November 12, 2019). "ABDugoutStories on Twitter: "Spruce Grove is being eyed as a potential landing spot for a @wcbleague franchise by @EdmProspects owner @capacity23, according to a press release from Gold Sports & Entertainment Group ..." / Twitter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Moddejonge, Gerry (May 23, 2020). "Edmonton Prospects heading west to Spruce Grove after losing lease on ball park". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  14. ^ "'2022 is just not possible': Edmonton Prospects' new ball field delayed". November 10, 2021.
  15. ^ "No 2023 season for Edmonton Prospects | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  16. ^ "1967 Southern League Game Reports". attheplate.com. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  17. ^ Shortened season. Some teams did not compete.
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